Report: Whole Foods store in Newark coming by late winter

A rendering of the soon-to-be-rehabilitated Hahne & Co. building in dowtown Newark. — Courtesy: JLL

By Real Estate NJ

A new Whole Foods store, the retail centerpiece of a project to revitalize the historic Hahne & Co. building in downtown Newark, is expected to open within just a few months.

That’s according to a report Tuesday by NJ Advance Media. A spokesman for the high-end grocer told the publication that the 30,000-square-foot store will be open in late winter of 2017, with the shell having been completed and the shelving and refrigeration units expected to be installed soon.

The spokesman said the Broad Street store will serve professionals who commute to the city but also local residents, as the company works with Newark officials to support local hiring for more than 100 jobs and offer grants for nonprofits.

Whole Foods has been the focal point of the rehabilitation since it was announced in 2013, but it’s just one piece of the project led by L+M Development Partners and other investors. The new Hahne’s building is also slated to house a Rutgers University arts facility, City National Bank’s headquarters, 160 mixed-income apartments and a mixed of other office and retail space.

Joshua Burd, an award-winning reporter and editor, has been covering New Jersey commercial real estate for five years. Many industry leaders view him as the go-to real estate reporter in the state, a role he is eager to continue as the editor of Real Estate NJ. He is a lifelong New Jersey resident who has spent a decade covering the great Garden State.